List of the Top 20 Debugging Tools for Linux in 2025

TrustInSoft has developed a source code analysis tool known as TrustInSoft Analyzer, which meticulously evaluates C and C++ code, providing mathematical assurances that defects are absent, software components are shielded from prevalent security vulnerabilities, and the code adheres to specified requirements. This innovative technology has gained recognition from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), marking it as the first globally to fulfill NIST’s SATE V Ockham Criteria, which underscores the significance of high-quality software. What sets TrustInSoft Analyzer apart is its implementation of formal methods—mathematical techniques that facilitate a comprehensive examination to uncover all potential vulnerabilities or runtime errors while ensuring that only genuine issues are flagged. Organizations utilizing TrustInSoft Analyzer have reported a significant reduction in verification expenses by 4 times, a 40% decrease in the efforts dedicated to bug detection, and they receive undeniable evidence that their software is both secure and reliable. In addition to the tool itself, TrustInSoft’s team of experts is ready to provide clients with training, ongoing support, and various supplementary services to enhance their software development processes. Furthermore, this comprehensive approach not only improves software quality but also fosters a culture of security awareness within organizations.

Android Studio provides powerful tools designed for creating applications that work seamlessly across all Android devices. It enables developers to craft complex layouts using ConstraintLayout by setting constraints among different views and guidelines. Moreover, users can preview their designs on various screen sizes by selecting from a multitude of device configurations or by modifying the dimensions of the preview window. For those looking to minimize app size, the platform allows for thorough analysis of APK contents, including the inspection of the manifest, resources, and DEX files, no matter how the APK was generated. Additionally, it offers the capability to compare different APK versions to monitor size variations over time. Users will find that app installation and execution is faster than on a physical device, while also being able to simulate a range of configurations and features, including ARCore for augmented reality development. Further enhancing productivity, the sophisticated code editor supports code completion for Kotlin, Java, and C/C++, facilitating a smoother development process. With these comprehensive features, developers can optimize their workflow, ultimately achieving more efficient and high-quality application development results. As a result, Android Studio stands out as an essential tool for modern app developers.

Leverage the capabilities of Telerik Fiddler HTTP(S) proxy to capture all web traffic flowing between your computer and external websites, which enables you to examine that traffic, establish breakpoints, and adjust both requests and responses as needed. Fiddler Everywhere acts as a flexible web debugging proxy that is compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux operating systems. It allows for the capturing, inspection, and monitoring of all HTTP(S) communications, making it easier to mock requests and address network issues. This tool can be utilized with any browser or application, providing the ability to debug traffic on macOS, Windows, Linux, and mobile devices running either iOS or Android. It ensures the proper exchange of essential cookies, headers, and caching settings between the client and server. Supporting a variety of frameworks including .NET, Java, and Ruby, Fiddler Everywhere equips you with the tools to efficiently mock or modify requests and responses on any website. This user-friendly approach enables testing of website functionality without necessitating any code changes. With Fiddler Everywhere, you can comprehensively log and analyze all HTTP/S traffic between your machine and the broader internet, thereby enhancing your debugging efficiency and allowing for more in-depth inspection of network interactions. Ultimately, this tool streamlines the process of identifying and resolving issues that might affect your web applications.

You can swiftly navigate through network traffic by emphasizing content type, status, and source. Alternatively, you can utilize robust filtering options that align your messages with the most significant ones. With the help of MDN's inline explanations and documentation, you can scrutinize the URL, status, headers, and body of individual requests or responses. Additionally, you have the ability to examine message bodies with features like highlighting and automatic formatting for JSON, HTML, JavaScript, and other formats, all facilitated by Monaco, the editor integrated into Visual Studio Code. You can accurately match requests, seamlessly jump to them as they come in, and modify details such as the target URL or method, headers, and body. Decisions can be made to either reply manually to incoming requests or to forward them upstream. On the return path, you can pause to alter the actual response as needed. You can navigate through HTTP traffic one request at a time or deliberately simulate errors and endpoints for testing. For rapid prototyping against new services or endpoints, you can create specific rules that correspond to incoming requests, ensuring a tailored approach to development. This flexibility allows for a comprehensive exploration and manipulation of HTTP interactions.

Ambassador Edge Stack serves as a Kubernetes-native API Gateway that delivers ease of use, robust security, and the capability to scale for extensive Kubernetes environments globally. It simplifies the process of securing microservices by offering a comprehensive suite of security features, which encompass automatic TLS, authentication, and rate limiting, along with optional WAF integration. Additionally, it facilitates fine-grained access control, allowing for precise management of user permissions. This API Gateway functions as an ingress controller based on Kubernetes, and it accommodates an extensive array of protocols, such as gRPC, gRPC Web, and TLS termination, while also providing traffic management controls that help maintain resource availability and optimize performance. Overall, Ambassador Edge Stack is designed to meet the complex needs of modern cloud-native applications.

PlatformIO is a pioneering collaborative platform tailored for embedded development, enabling users to save time and resources by drastically reducing the costs and efforts associated with software development and upkeep. The embedded systems industry is in urgent need of a revolutionary solution, as numerous current IDEs and tools are based on obsolete technology from the 1990s, leading to complicated requirements and platform-specific setups that deter talented developers from entering the field of embedded engineering. As the top-rated IDE option for Microsoft Visual Studio Code, it provides a user-friendly and highly modular integrated development environment along with a robust array of professional development tools. These tools are specifically designed to improve both the efficiency and ease of creating and delivering embedded products. Moreover, PlatformIO is developed solely in pure Python, which guarantees its operation without reliance on any external libraries or system tools, thereby simplifying the development process and promoting a more effective workflow. Its dedication to modernizing the landscape of embedded development positions it as an indispensable resource for developers eager to push the boundaries of innovation in this area. By embracing the advantages of such a platform, developers can not only enhance their productivity but also contribute to the evolution of embedded engineering as a whole.

You have the option to utilize your preferred debugging software to address issues with your Kubernetes services on a local level. Telepresence, an open-source solution, facilitates the execution of a single service locally while maintaining a connection to a remote Kubernetes cluster. Originally created by Ambassador Labs, known for their open-source development tools like Ambassador and Forge, Telepresence encourages community participation through issue submissions, pull requests, and bug reporting. Engaging in our vibrant Slack community is a great way to ask questions or explore available paid support options. The development of Telepresence is ongoing, and by registering, you can stay informed about updates and announcements. This tool enables you to debug locally without the delays associated with building, pushing, or deploying containers. Additionally, it allows users to leverage their preferred local tools such as debuggers and integrated development environments (IDEs), while also supporting the execution of large-scale applications that may not be feasible to run locally. Furthermore, the ability to connect a local environment to a remote cluster significantly enhances the debugging process and overall development workflow.

Xdebug is a robust PHP extension that significantly improves the development process by offering a range of helpful tools and features. It enables developers to step through their code within integrated development environments as scripts are executed, simplifying the debugging process. The extension enhances the standard var_dump() function and provides detailed stack traces for notices, warnings, errors, and exceptions, clearly outlining the sequence leading to the problems. Furthermore, it records all function calls, including their arguments and locations, on the disk and can be customized to log every variable assignment and return value for functions. This comprehensive feature set allows developers, in conjunction with visualization tools, to meticulously analyze the performance of their PHP applications and pinpoint any performance issues. In addition, Xdebug highlights the portions of code executed during unit tests using PHPUnit, which helps improve test coverage. For ease of use, the fastest way to install Xdebug is often through a package manager by simply replacing the PHP version with the one currently in use. Alternatively, Xdebug can also be installed via PECL on both Linux and macOS, with Homebrew facilitating a smooth setup process. Overall, Xdebug greatly enhances the PHP development experience by delivering crucial debugging capabilities and performance analysis. Its extensive features make it an indispensable tool for developers looking to optimize their workflow and code quality.

Defang is a platform tailored for developers that aims to simplify the entire process of developing, deploying, and debugging cloud applications. By leveraging AI-powered tools, Defang allows developers to transform their innovative ideas into fully functional applications hosted on their preferred cloud services in no time. Supporting multiple programming languages, including Go, JavaScript, and Python, the platform provides users with the ability to kickstart their projects by using example templates or generating outlines through natural language prompts. With a single command, Defang efficiently automates the building and deployment processes, seamlessly handling configurations for computing, storage, load balancing, networking, logging, and security. The user experience is further enhanced through the Defang Command Line Interface (CLI), which offers various installation options such as shell scripts, Homebrew, Winget, Nix, or direct downloads. By allowing developers to define their services using compose.yaml files, Defang streamlines the deployment of applications to the cloud. This innovative platform not only cuts down on the intricacies typically involved in cloud application development but also opens the door for developers of all experience levels to engage with cloud technology more effectively. Furthermore, its user-friendly approach ensures that even newcomers to cloud development can quickly grasp the necessary tools and processes to succeed.

Chrome DevTools is an integrated set of web development tools within the Google Chrome browser, designed to enhance the development process. These utilities allow developers to edit web pages in real-time and quickly troubleshoot issues, which leads to the creation of more efficient websites in a shorter period. Accessing DevTools can be done through multiple methods, accommodating different user preferences for easy navigation within the interface. To modify the DOM or CSS, users can right-click on any webpage element and select Inspect to open the Elements panel directly, or they can use the shortcut Command+Option+C on Mac, and Control+Shift+C on Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS. For checking logged data or running JavaScript commands, the Console panel can be swiftly accessed using Command+Option+J on Mac or Control+Shift+J on other platforms. Furthermore, users can enhance their navigation through the DOM tree by employing badges to toggle various overlays, which can improve the overall development experience. The Console feature in Chrome DevTools is essential for logging information and executing JavaScript, making it indispensable for developers. Mastering these shortcuts and features not only improves efficiency but also empowers developers to produce high-quality web applications with greater ease. Ultimately, familiarizing oneself with these tools is crucial for anyone serious about web development.

The Firefox Developer Tools offer an extensive array of resources tailored specifically for web developers, seamlessly integrated within the Firefox browser. With these tools, users can effectively examine, adjust, and debug their HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code. This section provides thorough guides that explain each tool in detail, along with helpful instructions for debugging Firefox on Android devices, strategies for enhancing the functionality of DevTools, and methods for troubleshooting the entire browser. You can access the Firefox Developer Tools by navigating to Tools > Web Developer > Web Developer Tools in the menu, or by using the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + Shift + I or F12 on Windows and Linux, or Cmd + Opt + I on macOS. Furthermore, these tools not only aid in improving individual code but also empower developers to optimize their workflow, thereby creating smoother web experiences for all users. Utilizing these resources can significantly elevate the quality and efficiency of web development projects.

Shoreline stands out as the sole cloud reliability platform that enables DevOps engineers to create automations in just minutes while permanently resolving issues. Its state-of-the-art "Operations at the Edge" architecture deploys efficient agents to run seamlessly in the background on every monitored host. These agents can function as a DaemonSet within Kubernetes or as an installed package on virtual machines (using apt or yum). Additionally, the Shoreline backend can either be hosted by Shoreline on AWS or set up in your own AWS virtual private cloud. With sophisticated tools designed for top-tier Site Reliability Engineers (SREs), along with Jupyter-style notebooks that cater to the wider team, troubleshooting and resolving issues becomes a straightforward task. The platform accelerates the automation creation process by an impressive 30 times, enabling operators to oversee their entire infrastructure as if it were a single entity. By handling the complex processes of establishing monitors and crafting repair scripts, Shoreline allows customers to focus on merely adjusting configurations to suit their specific environments. This comprehensive approach not only enhances efficiency but also empowers teams to maintain operational excellence with minimal effort.

Ensure that crashes of games, applications, or devices don't hinder your enjoyable experience. Backtrace streamlines the management of exceptions and crashes across various platforms, allowing you to concentrate on delivering your product. It provides a unified call stack, event aggregation, and comprehensive monitoring solutions. This single system efficiently handles errors from panics, core dumps, minidumps, and runtime issues across your entire stack. Backtrace creates structured and searchable error reports from your collected data. Its automated analysis significantly shortens the resolution time by highlighting critical signals that guide engineers to the root cause of crashes. With seamless integrations into various dashboards and notification systems, you can rest assured that no detail will slip through the cracks. The advanced queries engine offered by Backtrace empowers you to address your most pressing questions. A broad overview of errors, along with prioritization and trends spanning all your projects, is readily accessible. Furthermore, you can sift through essential data points and your customized information for every error, enhancing your overall troubleshooting process. This comprehensive approach ultimately leads to a more efficient workflow and improved product reliability.

IDA Pro is a sophisticated disassembler that creates execution maps, portraying the processor's binary instructions in a symbolic form, particularly in assembly language. By utilizing cutting-edge methodologies, IDA Pro can convert machine-executable code into assembly language source code, which improves the clarity of complex programming constructs. Its debugging capabilities include dynamic analysis features that allow it to accommodate a variety of debugging targets and efficiently handle remote applications. The tool's cross-platform debugging functionality enables seamless debugging processes, ensuring straightforward connections to both local and remote systems while supporting 64-bit architectures and multiple connection types. Moreover, IDA Pro enhances the user experience by allowing analysts to modify its automatic decisions or provide guidance, which promotes a more intuitive and effective process for binary code analysis. This adaptability not only increases the analyst's engagement with the disassembler but also significantly streamlines the overall task of dissecting intricate binaries, paving the way for more insightful explorations of software behavior. Ultimately, IDA Pro stands out as an indispensable tool for professionals engaged in reverse engineering and security analysis.

Weinre, which is pronounced like "winery" or "weiner," stands for WEb INspector REmote and functions as a debugging tool for web pages, akin to FireBug for Firefox and the web inspector available in WebKit browsers, but it is specifically tailored for remote debugging on mobile devices such as smartphones. Developed at a time when no remote debugging solutions were available for mobile platforms, weinre has set the stage for more recent tools that various platforms now incorporate into their development offerings. It employs user interface components from WebKit's web inspector project, making it easily recognizable for those familiar with Safari's web inspector or Chrome's Developer Tools. Generally, the client application is initiated in a desktop or laptop browser while the targeted web page is viewed on a mobile device, facilitating smooth debugging. Importantly, weinre functions entirely through standard JavaScript without depending on any native code in the browser, ensuring widespread compatibility and user-friendliness. This remote debugging capability has become essential for developers creating web applications designed for mobile users, solidifying weinre's position as a crucial asset in the web development toolkit. Additionally, its simplicity and effectiveness have helped it maintain relevance even as newer debugging solutions have emerged.

GDB, known as the GNU Project debugger, allows users to delve into the inner workings of a software application while it runs or to analyze its behavior when it crashes. To initiate the process, you should start your application, considering any elements that might affect its performance. When the program stops, take the time to review the sequence of events that led to that moment. You have the ability to adjust components within your program to troubleshoot a specific problem and then continue to investigate other issues that may arise. GDB can be utilized on the same machine as the program (native), on a different computer (remote), or even via a simulator. It supports many popular UNIX operating systems, various versions of Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X. In addition, inferior objects now come with a read-only property known as 'connection_num', which reveals the connection number as displayed by the 'info connections' and 'info inferiors' commands. Moreover, a new function named gdb.Frame.level() has been added, which provides the stack level tied to the frame object, significantly enhancing the overall debugging process. This makes it easier for developers to track down issues in their code and improve the reliability of their applications.

GNU DDD functions as a graphical interface that integrates with various command-line debuggers, such as GDB, DBX, WDB, and others like Ladebug and JDB. Beyond its basic front-end features, which include displaying source code, DDD is well-known for its interactive graphical data representation, enabling users to visualize data structures in a more intuitive manner. To support the principles of software freedom, individuals can contribute by purchasing products from the FSF shop. For effective use of DDD, it is essential to have the GNU debugger (GDB) version 4.16 or later, though other command-line debuggers might be necessary depending on the particular application being debugged. Not only does DDD enhance the debugging process, but it also promotes a deeper connection with the values of open-source software, fostering a community that thrives on collaboration and shared knowledge. This makes it a valuable tool for developers who wish to explore the intricacies of their code while adhering to the ethos of software freedom.

Developing reliable and optimized code that delivers precise outcomes across a range of server and high-performance computing (HPC) architectures is essential, especially when leveraging the latest compilers and C++ standards for Intel, 64-bit Arm, AMD, OpenPOWER, and Nvidia GPU hardware. Arm Forge brings together Arm DDT, regarded as the top debugging tool that significantly improves the efficiency of debugging high-performance applications, alongside Arm MAP, a trusted performance profiler that delivers vital optimization insights for both native and Python HPC applications, complemented by Arm Performance Reports for superior reporting capabilities. Moreover, both Arm DDT and Arm MAP can function effectively as standalone tools, offering flexibility to developers. With dedicated technical support from Arm experts, the process of application development for Linux Server and HPC is streamlined and productive. Arm DDT stands out as the preferred debugger for C++, C, or Fortran applications that utilize parallel and threaded execution on either CPUs or GPUs. Its powerful graphical interface simplifies the detection of memory-related problems and divergent behaviors, regardless of the scale, reinforcing Arm DDT's esteemed position among researchers, industry professionals, and educational institutions alike. This robust toolkit not only enhances productivity but also plays a significant role in fostering technical innovation across various fields, ultimately driving progress in computational capabilities. Thus, the integration of these tools represents a critical advancement in the pursuit of high-performance application development.

Quickly diagnose performance concerns and acquire insights into the functioning of a complex C/C++ application with Orbit, a standalone profiling and debugging tool tailored for both Windows and Linux platforms. This tool is meticulously designed to help developers understand and visualize the execution flow within sophisticated applications. By offering a comprehensive view of internal processes, Orbit significantly boosts a developer's comprehension of complex systems, allowing them to rapidly identify performance bottlenecks. The tool works seamlessly with any C/C++ application that has access to the Pdb file, enabling immediate profiling once Orbit is downloaded and installed. When launched, Orbit integrates itself directly into the target process, hooking into particular functions while maintaining effectiveness even in highly optimized final or shipping builds. Its sampling feature is especially useful for initiating investigations, as it operates quickly, reliably, and is persistently active. Orbit refines the profiling experience by merging sampling methods with dynamic instrumentation, thereby promoting an efficient workflow for developers aiming to improve application performance. Furthermore, the capability to visualize execution paths offers significant assistance in comprehending the interactions between various components within the system, making it a valuable tool for both new and experienced developers alike. This combination of features empowers developers to tackle challenges in performance optimization with greater confidence and clarity.

VisualVM is an advanced tool utilized for monitoring and diagnosing Java applications starting from version 1.4, featuring support for various technologies such as jvmstat, JMX, Serviceability Agent (SA), and Attach API from multiple vendors. It is tailored to accommodate the varied requirements of application developers, system administrators, quality assurance engineers, and end users. For each active process, VisualVM presents critical runtime information including process ID (PID), main class, Java process arguments, JVM version, JDK installation path, JVM flags, and system properties. Furthermore, it monitors an array of performance indicators such as CPU consumption, garbage collection (GC) activities, heap and metaspace memory utilization, the total number of loaded classes, and the active thread count. In addition, VisualVM incorporates fundamental profiling capabilities that enable detailed examination of application performance and memory management, providing both sampling and instrumentation profiling techniques to suit different analytical requirements. This extensive suite of tools not only enhances the troubleshooting process but also plays a significant role in the optimization of Java applications, making VisualVM an essential asset for developers and system administrators alike.